House of Design

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Have you ever wondered how fabrics come together flawlessly? You oooh and ahhhh over the pretty combinations and how they just seem to work together. Now, I must admit, we make it look pretty easy, don't we? But the truth is is anything but. Designers have a trained eye when it comes to selecting the perfect hues to compliment and enhance each other.

Don't believe me? Here's a little bit of proof. I introduced you to the mommy-suite/nursery we're working on and only showed you the final design choices. But do you have any tdea how long it took us to get there?

This was the fabric everyone fell in love with....

We sourced this lovely Beacon Hill cheetah print that the clients absolutely adored. We used this fabric as our jumping off point for the rest of the colour story in the room. After deciding this, we set off to find the perfect blue to match and accent the small spots inside the cheetah print to pull the colour throughout the room. Sounds simple, you say?

When viewed individually, it was easy to pull together some options. Once compared to the Cheetah fabric, things weren't looking so easy anymore. As you can see in the array of blues above, each blue has it's own underlying tones. Some have hints of green, some have hints of brown, some have a peek of purple, some seem too grey. On top of this, different textures react differently under diverse lighting conditions.

This happens every day where people will go to the store thinking they're buying the perfect item, but then when they get it home and compare it to the other items in their house and their different lighting, it can look completely crazy!

In the end?

We found the perfect match as we always do. The fabrics are of similar texture and we were able to help pull the colour story throughout the space.

House of Design by Erica Gelman is a full service Toronto based design firm. We create truly unique spaces catered to each client's specific requirements. We design, decorate and renovate from small scale to large scale residential builds.

For more information please visit www.ericagelman.com or to book a consultation please contact us at

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

It's always such a pleasure to hear back from past client's, especially when they were such a pleasure to deal with. You may remember our Bachelor Pad at the Hunt Club Residence from previous posts back in 2011. Well...he's back BUT the "bachelor" is no more and is now expecting his first child!

Originally, it was meant to be a surprise for the gorgeous mommy-to-be but its hard keeping such fun secrets so now the whole family is on board. Our task is to create a tranquil yet luxurious space for the mommy to relax in and a place for their soon-to-be bundle of joy to sleep in....do babies sleep?! Call it a nursery or call it a mommy suite, this spare bedroom with get a total design transportation.

The last thing they wanted was a traditional nursery so we're using lustrous velvets in blues and purples with a hint of fuchsia - talk about show stopping "non-nursery". Who wouldn't have sweet dreams surrounded by some of these fabrics? The mommy-to-be is super stylish herself so its not coincidence the room had to be fashion inspired and driven by the ultimate in chic. The only thing missing from this gorgeous cocktail of fabric is gold accents....oh...wait....we've got those too! It's one of those fun decorating projects where we'll see everything coming together before the baby is even gets here.

amazing, I know!

Drapery Fabric. This water coloured peacock feathered fabric will incorporate every accent colour used through the space. It's the perfect tie

Our first sketch, some visual inspiration.

House of Design by Erica Gelman is a full service Toronto based design firm. We create truly unique spaces catered to each client's specific requirements. We design, decorate and renovate from small scale to large scale residential builds.

For more information please visit www.ericagelman.com or to book a consultation please contact us at

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

If you live in the Toronto area you may have picked up the Toronto Star newspaper on Friday. And, if you just so happen to find yourself flipping through the "New Homes & Condo" section then you probably may have also noticed this tiny tiny picture of me (can you hear the sarcasm)? It was a half page, jumbo size photo of moi! I was just as surprised as everyone else, so so so thankful by still totally surprised.

My article last week was all about the possibilities when designing a kitchen and believe me there are plenty. If you are considering renovating, thinking of renovating, ready to design or just gathering ideas I always say start with a plan. That plan usually comes from working with a design professional like myself and my totally brilliant design and contracting team, we'd love to hear all about these plans of yours. But in the meantime, if you didn't get a chance to read my article here it is.....

The Toronto Star - Friday June 21st, 2013

House of Design by Erica Gelman is a full service Toronto based design firm. We create truly unique spaces catered to each client's specific requirements. We design, decorate and renovate from small scale to large scale residential builds.

For more information please visit www.ericagelman.com or to book a consultation please contact us at